Uncoupling mechanism for railway-cars.



` Patented .Sept 23. |902.

G. GROOBEY..

UNCOUPLING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

(Application led Nov. 8, 1901.\

(No Model.)

4 5" f u E. E 6 6 f n u Q @y um CI D D CI UNITED Sterns Partnr Ottime.

GEORGE GROOBEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UNCOUPLING MECHANISVI FOR RILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,706, dated September 23, 190.2.

Application led November S, 1901. Serial No. 81,619. (No model`1 To all whom t may concern:

`Be it known that I, GEORGEGROOBEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Oook and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Uncoupling Mechanism for Railway- Oars, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to an improvement in uncoupling mechanism for railway-cars, the object being to provide means for uncoupling from either side of the car by the use of a flexible connection, and an essential feature of my present invention consists in improved facilities for guiding and locking this flexible connection, and, further, myinvention is adapted for use with the different leading types of car-couplings now in common use. In other words, my present invention is an improvement on the inventions disclosed in mechanical Letters Patent No. (312,588, granted to me October 18, 1898, and on Design Patent No. 32,641, granted to me May 8,1900; and it consists in a plate provided with one or more sets of guide-sheaves arranged in pairs set at anA angle to each other, in connection with a flexible connection attached to the nncoupling-pin and extending to one or both sides of the car overa pair or it may be a single one of a pair of these guide-sheaves.

The present invention further consistsin a guide-plate provided with two pairs of guidesheaves located in approximate alinement with or juxtaposition to the uncoupliug devices of at least two different types of carcouplings in common use, in connection with iiexible devices rove over the sheave or sheaves of the pair of sheaves nearest to the uncoupling means of the particular type of car-coupling used upon the cars.

My present invention still further consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described,and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation of a portion of a freight-car.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of my inn-V proved guide-plate, showing two sets of guidesheaves on the forward edge thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through one of the sheaves. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the locking device for securing the flexible connection, and Fig. 6 is a modification of the latter.

The guide-plate A, which constitutes one of the leading features of my presentinvention, is provided with four slightly-elongated transversely-disposed slots 1 l, by means of which the guide-plate is adjustably secured, through the medium of bolts 2 2, to the headblock 3 of the car. At the forward edge of the guide-plate two pairs of anges 4l l are struck up or cast, accordingly as the guideplate is made of sheet metal or malleable iron. The flanges in each pair are disposedat an angle to each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Sheaves 5 5 are supported on these flanges by means of bolts 6 6, upon which they turn. The sheaves are preferably made in two parts, as indicated in Fig. 4C, secured together by rivets or bolts 7 7, and the groove at the periphery is as nearly circular as possible, with the opening at the outer edge just wide enough to alford clearance for the iiexible connection to be hereinafter described. The object of thus disposing the sheaves at an angle in each pair is to adapt them for nnconpling means capable of being operated from either one or both sides of the car, and the object of the two pairs of sheaves is to provide for the use of at least two different principal typesof car-couplings. For instance, with the .Ianney type of car-coupling the lockingpin is approximately in alinement with the left-hand pair of sheaves, as shown in Fig. 1, whereas the Buckeye uncoupling device is in alinement with the other set. Still a third set might of course be used at an intermediate point for the Gould type, for example. B indicates the flexible connection, which may be of wire, rope, or made of chain. This is secured at one end to the uncoupling device, as shown in Fig. 1, and thence the flexible connection is rove over the left-hand sheaves of the left-hand pair to reach the corresponding side of the car and over the righthand sheave of the saine set to reach the opposite side of the car. This flexible connection is held at the outer end by a lockingplate 9. In this plate an inverted- L-shaped slot lO is formed, through which the flexible connection passes loosely. In the lateral branch 12 of this slot a notch 13 is formed, and in this notch a link of the chain is dropped ICC or caught to secure the nncoupling device in its raised position when the cars are to be uncoupled. To release the uncoupling device, the chain is removed from this notch and dropped into the lower end of the slot, where l device would have to be lowered a trifle to bring a link in place to fasten. This would of course be fatal to the successful Working of the mechanism, because it would prevent the knuckle from opening. To obviate this, a second notch 14 is provided on a higher plane, as shown in the modification, Fig. 6. In that Way if one notch isnot in the proper' position it is probable the other will be, or, in other words, their relation in position to each other is such that one notch is pretty sure to hold the connection taut andthe uncoupling device raised to its utmost.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the uncoupling may be accomplished from either side of the car and also without in any wise changing the carequipments. The uncoupling mechanism may be employed-with the different types of car-coupling, thus saving time and expense and at the same time getting far better results than heretofore possible.

It is evident that slight changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and

hence I do not wish to limit myself to the eX- act construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A guide-plate for cars, having two pairs of sheaves revolnbly supported thereon, the sheaves of each pair being disposed at an angle to each other.

2. The combination with a car-coupling, an uncoupling device, and a head-block, of a guide-plate having two sets of guide-sheaves disposed in pairs at an angle to each other, a flexible connection rove over one or both sheaves of either pair of guide-sheaves, said connection adapted to be attached at one end to the uncoupling device of the coupler, and means for fastening the opposite end of the iiexible connection.

3. The combination with an uncoupling device, of a car-coupling, and a exible connection, of a locking-plate having an inverted-L- shaped slot, the horizontal portion of which has means for fastening the connection.

4. The combination with an uncoupling device, of a car-coupling, and a flexible connection, of a locking-plate having an inverted- L- shaped slot with two notches in dierent horizontal planes to lock the connection.

5; The combination witha car-coupling,and an uncoupling device, of a guide-plate having two sets of guide-sheaves disposed in pairs at an angle to each other, a flexible connection rove over one or both sheaves of either pair of guide-sheaves, said connection adapting witnesses.

` GEORGE GROOBEY. Witnesses:

BLooM D. CHAPMAN, FRANK C. STRATTON. 

